According to a prior art mail enclosing and sealing apparatus which has been invented by the applicant of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, envelopes 1 are taken out one by one from envelope guides 3 of an envelope hopper 2 receiving therein a multiple number of envelopes 1. The envelopes 1 being taken out are supplied, through a series of rollers 4, to a gripper 6 which is mounted on an envelope transporting chain 5 being driven intermittently and waiting at an envelope receiving position A. Then, the gripper 6 moves, in accordance with the movement of the chain 5, the envelope 1 to an envelope opening position B. At the position B, the flap portion of the envelope 1 is opened in the arrow 7 direction by flap opening means known per se. Thereafter, the envelope 1 is transported to an enclosure inserting position C with the flap portion being maintained at the open condition. The opening portion of the envelope 1 is opened widely by opening means 8 such as a vacuum pad and the like, and an enclosure 10 being transported through another route 9 is enclosed in the envelope 1. Then, the envelope 1 enclosing therein the enclosure 10 is transported to an ejecting position D and is ejected in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the chain 5 and the route 9 (the direction perpendicular to the paper of the drawing), and the envelope 1 is sealed.
The envelope guides 3, 3 are mounted, as shown in FIG. 2, on blocks 11, 11. The blocks 11, 11 are threadingly engaged respectively with a shaft 12 having left and right hand screw-threads. A knob 13 is mounted on one end of the shaft 12. Thus, by rotatingly adjusting the knob 13, the envelope guides 3, 3 move in the directions of the arrows perpendicular to the longitudinal center line L--L of the apparatus and by the same amount. It will be understood that almost all prior art envelopes have a symmetrical configuration in the left and right as shown in FIG. 2. And the center line of the opening of the envelope 1 coincides with the center line of the envelope 1, and is located on the longitudinal center line L--L of the machine. Thus, various sizes of envelopes 1 can be handled by the machine by locating the envelope guides 3 adjustable symmetrically in the left and right directions with respect to the longitudinal center line L--L of the machine.
However, in one type of recent envelope, particularly for use in direct mails, for easily been opened by the person who received the direct mail, there is provided, as shown in FIG. 3, a flap portion 14 along one side edge of the envelope and perforations defining a cutting line 15 for opening the envelope near to one of the side edges. In such case, an envelope 200 can easily be opened without utilizing a knife and the like by tearing one side of the envelope along the perforations 15. In the envelope 200, the widthwise center-line m--m of the envelope does not coincide with the center-line n--n of the enclosure being provided in the envelope. Thus, when the envelope 200 is utilized in the machine shown in FIG. 2, the center line of the enclosure 10 is located on the center line L--L of the machine, and when the enclosure 10 is moved into the envelope 200, one side of the enclosure 10 overlaps with the flap portion 14 of the envelope by an amount 16, and the one side of the enclosure may abut with the flap portion which may prevent smooth insertion of the enclosure 10 into the envelope 200.
Further, in usual mail enclosing and sealing apparatus, the dimension of the opening of the envelope is determined to be sufficiently larger than the width of the enclosure being inserted into the envelope through the opening, and the opening device such as vacuum pads 8 are located near to opposite side edges of the envelope, however, when a flap portion is provided adjacent to one side edge of the envelope, the function of the vacuum pad is impeded and the envelope will not open sufficiently.
As shown in FIG. 4, the opening device such as vacuum pads 8 are mounted respectively on one ends of levers 20. The position of the opening device 8 can be adjusted by rotating a width adjusting shaft 21 having left and right hand screw-threads thereon, and through guide plates 23 engaging with the screw threads of the shaft 21 and being movable along a drive shaft 22, support members 24 mounted on the guide plates 23, blocks 24a slidable along the support members 24, L-shaped arms 25 with one ends being connected to the blocks 24a and the other ends being secured to levers 20. In the drawing, the drive shaft 22 is moved pivotally by drive means not shown in the drawing to afford up and down movement of the opening device 8 through a pair of arms 26 and a shaft 27 with opposite ends of which being secured to the arms 26 and acting on the blocks 24. Further, there are provided insert guides 28 displaceable along a shaft 29. For adjusting the positions of the insert guides 28, there is provided an insert guides adjusting shaft 30 having thereon left and right hand screw threads. The screw threads of the shaft 30 engage respectively with one ends of a pair of guide plates 31, and the other ends of the guide plates 31 are connected to a rotatable shaft 32 displaceably only in the directions of the axis of the shaft 32. The shaft 32 is rotated by rotating means not shown in the drawing. The guide plates 31 and the insert guides 28 are connected through connecting bars 33. By rotatingly adjusting the insert guides adjusting shaft 30, widthwise positions of the insert guides 28 are adjusted along the shaft 29 through the guide plates 31 movable along the shaft 32 and the connecting bars 33. Further, by adjusting the shaft 32, it is possible to adjust the inclination and the amount of displacement of the insert guides 28. Thus, when the size of the envelope is given, it is required to adjust the positions of the opening device 8 and the insert guides 28 independently by adjusting knobs 34 and 35 being secured to the shafts 21 and 30.
Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the device for transporting the enclosure 10 includes side guides 36 for guiding opposite sides of the enclosure 10. The side guides 36 are mounted on an adjusting shaft 38 having left and right hand screw-threads thereon. By adjusting the shaft 38 through an adjusting knob 40, the space between the side guides 38 is adjusted.
Thus, in the prior art machine, it is required to adjust independently the width of the envelope guide 3, the width of the opening means 8, the width of the insert guides 28 and the width of the side guides 36. Such an adjusting operation is troublesome and time consuming.
Further, when the envelope is of a particular configuration such as the envelope 200 having cutting perforations, it is required to further adjust the position of the side guides and the opening means 8. That is, when the opening means 8 such as that comprising vacuum pads in the prior art machine is located near to the opposite side edges of the envelope, the outer opening means 8 are positioned as far as possible at the side edge positions (as shown in FIG. 6) so that the opening means 8 at one end is positioned on the gluing flap portion 14. Consequently, said opening means 8 at one end can not act as a suitable opening means, and also, the opening means neighboring said opening means at one end can not be positioned at the outmost position of the envelope opening, and it can not effect proper opening of the envelope.